1. Field of the Invention
The instant application is directed to a battery plate separating apparatus which is primarily intended for use in the storage battery industry. The battery plate separating device is used in the industry to separate the paired battery plates of a lead casting. The plates which form a storage battery are generally cast of a lead alloy in pairs and are then plated with a lead paste to produce a paired set of battery plates. These paired plates are usually joined in two positions about a centerline through the casting. In order to use the plates in a battery it is required that the paired battery plates be separated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art technique for separating the battery plates generally consisted of a cutting means disposed so as to contact the center of a workpiece and separate it into two plates. The alignment of the casting was achieved through external alignment gates which located on the outer edge of the casting.
The problem encountered with the prior art devices were two fold. First a casting which was out of square would result in a cut which did not extend along the centerline between the two plates and, therefore, would produce battery plates of less than acceptable quality. Secondly, the means for locating generally required single plates to be located on the conveying means so that plates which were not identical would not have conflicting location points. Attempts to use multiple plates resulted in plates being misaligned and separated in a less than satisfactory manner. The instant invention uses a center location means which assures that the plates will be presented to the separating means along a common center line. This provides an accurate separation, regardless of casting geometry, the exterior portions thereof and conflicting geometry of the individual plates which are stacked.